Railroad snow-excavator



' .J 2 SheetsSheet 1. S. Y. LUDLAM.

Car-Track Clearer.

No. 17,580. V Patented June 16, 1857. A

W Z O a 9 z a ,F' O O J 9/ .E 0 hi z e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S. Y. LUDLAM, OF OYSTER BAY, NEYV YORK.

RAILROAD SNOW-EXCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,580, dated June 16, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. Y. LUDLAM, of

Oyster Bay, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Implement or Device for Removing Snow from Railroad-Tracks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a side view of my improvement. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal vertical section of ditto the plane of section passing through the center. Figs. 3, and 4 are front views of my improvement, the parts in the two figures being shown in different positions.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Hy invention consists in the employmentor use of a box or scoop provided with a cutter at its front end, the box being attached to a vertically sliding frame which is secured to a truck, the box and cutter being so arranged that the cutter as the truck is moved or shoved forward by the locomotive and the box filled with snow will be moved upward and cut the snow or detach the portion within the box from that which is without, the box rising immediately after, and when at a requisite height tilting so that its contents will fall at the side of the track, the box descending by its own gravity to its original position. The several parts are all operated from the locomotive and by means of a single chain or rope.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a truck, which is merely a rectangular wooden frame mounted upon four wheels (a) which are fitted and run on the track or rails of the said road. To the front end of the truck A the uprights (6,) (6,) are attached, and to these uprights a sliding frame B is secured, said frame B being provided with the usual guides and so arranged that it will slide readily up and down. To the frame B a frame work C of iron rods or bars is attached. This frame work is of rectangular form, it being constructed of the horizontal bars (0,) (0,) having vertical bars (61,) (61,) attached to their outer ends, the lower ends of the bars ((1,)

(1,) being connected by a horizontal bar 6). The upper ends of the bars (01,) ((1,)

bar (6,) is also grooved longitudinally, and

a rod D is fitted between the vertical bars ((1,) This rod is bent vertically at its ends as shown at (f,) (f,) the parts (f,) fitting in the grooves in the vertical bars (03,) (d). To the upper ends of the parts (f,) f,) of the rod cords or chains (9,) (9,) are attached. These rods or chains pass through eyes (h,) at the upper parts of the upright (6,) and pass downward and are attached to a slidingplate E which is fitted and works on guide rods (z',) attached to the truck A, and to braces (j,) which supportthe uprights (6,) see Figs. 1, 2, and 4.

To the lower part of the sliding frame B a box or scoop F is secured. This box may be constructed of metal plate, boiler plate for instance. The box or scoop has a bottom, two sides and a back piece, no top nor front side being required. The bottom (16,) of the box is fitted leverly on a rod (1,) one end of which is attached to the bar (6,) the opposite end being attached to a plate (m,) which is secured to the lower part of the frame B. The box or scoop F therefore is allowed to swing or tilt within the frame C when required and is retained in position by a catch or button (n,) which is shown more particularly in Fig. 1. One side (0,) of the box has its lower end jointed to the end of the bottom (7a,) and a chain (p,) is attached to the upper end of the side (0,) the upper end of said chain being secured to a guide bar (9,) attached to the uprights (6,) (6).

To the lower part of the frame B a rope or chain (1",) is attached. This rope or chain passes upward over a sheave (8,) at tached to a cross piece (t,) between the upper parts of the uprights (6,) (6,) said rope or chain then passing downward an underneath a sheave (10,) attached to the lower part of the frame B then upward again and over a sheave (4),) adjoining the sheave (8,) then downward again and underneath a sheave (w,) on the truck A and over a sheave (m,) in the slide E.

To the truck A two pawls (y,) (y,) are secured, one at each side. These pawls are connected at their outer parts by a cross rod (2,) which is connected by a cord or chain (a',) with the lower part of the frame B. The outer ends of the pawls (y,) (y,) catch into notches made in the peripheries of the front wheels (0,) and preventsaid wheels from turning backward.

The operation of the device is as follows: The truck A is placed in front of the locomotive and is shoved along by it, the end or chain (1",) being attached to the 1000- motive, and rod D being down and fitted within the groove or recess in the bar (6,) and the slide E elevated or raised to the upper ends of the guide rods (6,) as shown in Fig. 1. When the box F is filled with snow the locomotive is reversed and as it is moved back the cord (1",) will depress the slide E and the rod D will be elevated and pass up to the upper end of the box F. This bar serves as a cutter and detaches the snow within the box F from that which is without. The cords or chains (9,) it will be seen, connect the rod D with the slide E and as one goes down the other goes up.

When the rod D has reached its culminating point or extreme height, and the slide E has consequently reached its lowest point, the chain (1",) will then elevate the box F, the locomotive still moving backward and when the box F reaches a certain point the end of the button or catch (9%,) will strike against a pin (0%) on one of the uprights (0,) and the end of the box F will strike against a projection (0*,) on the same upright By this means the side (0,) of the box will open and the box will be tilted as shown in Fig. 4 and the contents of the box will be discharged at one side of the track. As the locomotive is again turned forward the box F descends by its own gravity, the side (0,) being closed by a guide. bar (6%,) and the button or catch thrown over the door in consequence of the end of the catch striking against a pin (6*).

The rod or cutter D also descends to its original position, the slide E rising to the upper parts of the guide rods (i,) (2,) as the rod D descends. When the box F, bar D, and slide E are in their original position, the locomotive is, again moved.

The pawls (y,) (g prevent the truck from moving backward on the track, and these pawls are thrown free from the front wheels of the truck just previous to the tilting of the box, so that the truck will be free to move back in case any of the. working parts should be casually deranged.

I would remark that both sides of the box F may be made to open and that the box may be tilted on either side, merely by placing the pin (0 and projection (0*,) at the opposite side of the frame B.

This invention is designed to supersede the usual snow plow, which is a useless or inefficient implement when the snow is packed or consolidated by thawing and freezing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The tilting box or scoop F attached to the sliding frame 13 and provided with the rod or cutter D and hinge sides (0,) one or both, the frame B being attached to the truck A and the box F and rod or cutter D operated by the locomotive through the medium of the cord or chain (1",) the whole being arranged substantially as described for the purpose set forth.

S. Y. LUDLAM.

Witnesses:

GEORGE M. FOYER, TOWNSEND U. FRANKLIN. 

